Many of us have made the technological step forward and bought a GPS for our cars. As much as people like them though, complaints about problems arising with them are not rare. Fortunately, most problems with GPSs can easily be avoided. The following is some practical information and advice on keeping your GPS in good working order.

Temperature : Never leave your GPS unit in your car when you are not in the car. During the summer, temperatures inside a car can easily reach over 120 degrees. In the winter time, depending on where you live, the internal temperature of your car can get below the freezing point. Such extreme temperatures can reek havoc on your GPS unit. If your GPS was mounted in your dashboard when you bought your car though, you do not have to worry about this. The reason being that pre-installed GPSs are specifically made to withstand extreme temperatures.

Battery : The battery that a GPS unit runs off is normally not very robust. Any kind of power surge will probably ruin it. Depending on how your battery is attached to the main processor, it is even possible for a power surge to break the entire GPS unit. You should therefore ensure that your GPS is not plugged in to the power outlet when your start your car. The reason being that a slight power surge is sent through all of a car’s power outlets when it is started up. This surge is typically about 15% – 20% higher then your GPS needs to power up. The battery life of a GPS lessens each time it has to endure one of these power surges. At the very least, this means that you will have to buy a new battery sooner than you would otherwise have to.

Screen : Many people complain that the screen on their GPS no longer looks or works like it once did. The touch screen that used to work perfectly is said to be slow to respond and brightness of the screen said to have become subdued. Well, there is a simple and effective way to stop this happening to the screen on your GPS. Screen protectors are inexpensive, and will keep the dirt from your fingers away from the screen. With a screen protector in place, there is no way that the dirt on your fingers can come into contact with either the screen itself or the sensitive touch receptors under it.

Processor : Whenever your GPS is turned on, the processor will continue to work. Most people think that leaving it on is no big deal, after all, the battery when will not run out as it is plugged in, but whenever it is on it is constantly in contact with the various GPS satellites. The more your GPS processor has to work, the faster it will wear out. The processor, which is the main component in a GPS unit, really will last a lot longer if you make the effort to press the off button more regularly.

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